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The ornamented beads of vitreous paste found throughout
Britain, and commonly known as "adder-beads," were formerly believed by
the peasantry to have been made by adders, and to be of the greatest
efficacy in the cure of numerous diseases. It was believed "that about
Midsummer Eve (tho~ez_rsquo~ in the time they do not all agree) ~ez_lsquo~tis usual for
snakes to meet in Companies, and that by joyning heads together, and
hissing, a kind of Bubble is form~ez_rsquo~d like a ring about the head of one of
them, which the rest by continual hissing blow on till it comes off at the
tail, and then it immediately hardens and resembles a glass ring; which
whoever finds (as some old women and children are perswaded) shall prosper
in all his undertakings." It is remarkable that this account of the origin
of these beads is identical with Pliny~ez_rsquo~s description of the origin of the
ovum anguinum, or serpent~ez_rsquo~s egg, which was
also believed to possess numerous virtues. At the time of Lhwyd~ez_rsquo~s visit to
Scotland in 1699, these beads appear to have been in common use as charms,
as he mentions having "seen at least fifty differences of them betwixt
Wales and the Highlands;" and he adds, "not only the Vulgar, but even
Gentlemen of good Education throughout all Scotland are fully perswaded
the Snakes make them, though they are as plain Glass as any in a Bottle."
Tire says: "The adder-stone, or the beads and rings substituted in its
place, is thought by superstitious people to possess many wonderful
properties. It is used as a charm to insure prosperity, and to prevent the
malicious attacks of evil spirits. In this case it must be closely kept in
an iron box to secure it from the Fairies, who are supposed to have an
utter abhorrence at iron. It is also worn as an amulet about the necks of
children to cure sore eyes, the chincough, and some other diseases; and to
assist them in cutting their teeth. It is sometimes boiled in water as a
specific for diseases in cattle; but frequently the cure is supposed to be
performed by only rubbing with the stone the part affected." Pennant adds
that "the vulgar of the present age attribute to it other virtues ; such
as its curing the bite of an adder, and giving ease to women in
childbirth, if tied about the knee." The Rev. Dr Joass, of Golspie,
in recording the discovery of a bead of dark blue vitreous paste,
ornamented with inlaid spirals of yellow enamel, in a cist at Eddertoun,
Ross-shire, says another bead of exactly the same size and pattern "was
for many generations in possession of a family in Skye, from whom it was
occasionally borrowed by people from a great distance on account of its
supposed efficacy in the treatment of diseased cattle, which were said to
be cured by drinking of water into which the charm-bead had been dropped."
And he adds:

"Such beads were known among the Highlanders as CLACHAN
NATHAIREACH, serpent-stones, from their peculiar markings, as some of them
suppose, while others assert that their name and virtue are derived from
their connection with a very venomous serpent, which carries a set of such
beads on his body or tail." Another bead of the same type, exhibited by Mr
James Cruikshank, Lhanbryde, Elgin, was formerly used in the parish of
Dallas, Elginshire, for the cure of adder-bites. Unfortunately no
particulars have been preserved as to the manner in which it was used.

A ribbed melon-shaped bead of greenish vitreous paste
is exhibited by Dr B. de Brus Trotter, who states that
"it belonged to a famous witch of Drooth, Gordieston, Galloway. It
was acquired by the late William Bennett, of Burntisland, formerly editor
of the Glasgow Examiner, and I think Morning Chronicle, and author of several books, from an old woman in
New Galloway or Minnihive (Moniaive), I forget which. He wore it by a
ribbon round his neck for many years to bring good fortune, and he gave it
to my father about 1847, who also wore it for many years. It was supposed
to have various curative powers by being placed in water." A similar bead
now in the National Museum was kept by an old woman in the neighbourhood
of Glenluce as an" Ethir-bore stane."

Three small beads of vitreous paste and a small
naturally perforated concretion of flint, formerly used collectively for
the cure of adder-bites in the parish of Lochwinnoch, Ayrshire, have been
presented to the National Museum by Mr B. W. Cochran-Patrick, LL.D. Of the
beads, the first is of yellow paste, ½an inch
in diameter, and irregularly globular in form; the second is
5/8 inch in diameter, of clear blue glass, with
an irregular band of white enamel round the circumference; and the third
is 3/8 inch diameter, of dark coloured paste,
marked with small dots of white and red. The naturally perforated
concretion is whorl-shaped, 1 3/8 inch in diameter and ½inch in thickness. The manner in which these beads were used in the
cure of adder-bitten persons is described in the following quotation:~ez_mdash~

"It may be twenty-five or thirty years ago that a child
of a farmer in the parish of L~ez_mdash~h was bit or stung by an adder on the back
of the foot, which, as well as the leg and thigh, in consequence became
very much inflamed and swollen. The child~ez_rsquo~s life was considered in danger;
and various means of cure were resorted to by the parents, on the advice
of their friends and neighbours. Among others, a pigeon was procured,
killed, cut open, and immediately, while warm, applied to the wounded
foot. The flesh of the pigeon, it is said, became very dark or black; but
yet having, as it was believed, no good, or at least very immediate
effect, this other cure was had resource to. In the same parish a family
of the name of C~ez_mdash~g resided. They had been proprietors of the land they
occupied for several generations, and in possession of a so-called
adder-stone and four Druidical beads, some of which, or all conjunctively,
had been efficacious in curing various complaints, but more particularly
those in cattle. At the solicitation of an intimate friend, these were
obtained (although never before allowed to go out of the custody of some
of the family), and used according to instructions received, of this
import:~ez_mdash~that a small quantity of milk, some two or three gills, should be
taken from a cow, and that while warm the stone and beads, which were
arranged on a string, should be put into it, and then thoroughly washed
with the milk. A slough, or some slimy matter, it was said, would be
developed on the stone, which behoved to be cleaned off by and mixed with
the milk, and that the latter then should be applied in bathing the
wounded part and all the limb, which was afterwards to be swathed. This
was done accordingly, yet after an interval of two or three days from the
time the sting was received; and it is reported by those alive and
witnessing the application that, even by the following morning, there was
a visibly favourable change, and one which resulted in a complete cure.
The child arrived at manhood, got married, and is yet alive. As the
parents of the child were afterwards advised, the same good result would
have ensued if only the head of the adder (which was found and killed) had
been cut off, and the wound well rubbed with it."

Allied to and of the same origin as the adder-bead, and
in popular superstition reckoned equally potent for the cure of diseases
in cattle, is the adder-stone or snake-stone, which is merely the ordinary
stone whorl formerly used in spinning with the distaff and spindle. Four
of these so called adder-stones in the National Museum were obtained in
Lewis, where they had been used as charms for the cure of snake-bitten
cattle. Formerly it was the current belief in the Lewis, when cattle
became sick, that they had been bitten by snakes; and in order to effect a
cure the adder-stone was dipped in water, with which the affected part was
washed, or the animal was given the water to drink. Commenting on this
superstition, the late Capt. F. W. L. Thomas says: "Not
the least curious circumstance connected with this superstition is the
fact that there are no venomous snakes in Lewis. The blind-worm is not
uncommon, but it is quite innocuous. However, there is a full belief that
if a sheep, for instance, were to lie down upon one of them, the wool and
skin would both peel off; and the man is probably alive who trod upon a
righinn [ribhinn]~ez_mdash~the local
name for the blind-worm (from a tradition that it is a princess
metamorphosed)~ez_mdash~and in consequence the skin came off the sole of his foot."
Another adder-stone found about fifteen years previous was said to have
cured a girl at Back, Lewis, of a supposed snake-bite in 1872.

Four spindle-whorls now in the collection of Dr B. de
Brus Trotter, of Perth, were formerly used for the cure of various
ailments. They are described by Dr Trotter as follows:~ez_mdash~

"(1) A flat whorl of hard sandstone, which belonged to
the famous witch called Meg Elson, who lived in the Fingaul district of
Kirkmaiden, Wigtownshire, about the beginning of this century. It was used
for curing elf-shot kye. A red woollen thread was put through the hole,
and it was dipped three times in water taken from a well on which the sun
did not shine, by a young girl with red or yellow hair. A rhyme, in what
was supposed to be Gaelic, was said over the water, which was then given
to the cow to drink. I never could get any words of the rhyme. (2) Is of
steatite, about the same size and thickness as number one, and was used in
the same manner and for the same purpose. It was got by my brother about
1860 from Alexander M~ez_rsquo~Leod, Kinloch-Follart, Skye, by whose people it had
been used for generations to cure elf-shot cows. (3) Was given to one of
my brothers about 1858-9 by Hugh M~ez_rsquo~Caskill (chief of the clan Caskill),
Dunanellerich, Bracadale, Skye, in whose family it had been for a long
time. It was used for curing elf-shot cows by dipping it in water, which
was afterwards given to the cattle to drink. I mind my father telling me
that some time before then [1858], the Free Kirk minister of Bracadale
ordered the people to deliver up all the elf-shot, adder-beads, and charms
they had in their possession, as he was determined to root out the devil
and all his superstitious rites from among them. It was said that he got
two creels full of them (another account said half a boat-load), which he
took into the middle of Dunvegan Loch (Loch Follart) and threw overboard.
(4) Is a flat piece of greenish glass, made into an imperfect whorl, which
I got about 1855 from an old man at a clachan in Kirkmichael, on the Water
of Ae, Dumfriesshire, in whose family it had been for many generations,
and was used for the cure of the kinkhost, by dipping it in water, which
was given the child to drink."

Henderson gives an account of a labourer at Pitlochrie,
Perthshire, who was bitten by an adder. "Severe pain came on, and a
terrible swelling, which grew worse and worse, till a wise woman was
summoned with her adder~ez_rsquo~s stone. On her rubbing the place with the stone,
the swelling began to subside."

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